Intel Core i3-9320

The Intel Core i3-9320 is a desktop processor built on the Coffee Lake architecture and fabricated on Intel's 14 nm process. It provides 4 cores and 4 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The chip includes an 8 MB shared L3 cache, a dual-channel DDR4 memory controller with 38.4 GB/s bandwidth, and UHD Graphics 630 integrated. Its aggregate benchmark score of 1808 places it in the 44th percentile of all CPUs in the database.

How It Compares

The i3-9320's aggregate score of 1808 sits 0.2% above the AMD Ryzen 3 1300X, which averages 1805. That is a very narrow margin; the two chips occupy essentially the same performance tier in this database. Any difference between them is more likely to show up in specific workloads than in an overall average.

Against the Intel Xeon E5-1620 v4, the i3-9320 is 0.2% behind. The Xeon averages 1812, so the gap is almost identical to the one with the Ryzen 3 1300X, just in the opposite direction. This places the i3-9320 directly between the Ryzen chip below it and the Xeon E5-1620 v4 above it.

The Intel Xeon E5-1630 v3 is the strongest rival in this group, with an average score of 1821. That puts it 0.7% ahead of the i3-9320. The margin is still small, but it is the largest advantage held by any of the four listed rivals.

The AMD Opteron 6281 is the weakest of the four rivals, averaging 1789. The i3-9320 holds a 1.1% lead over it. That is the largest delta in the entire comparison, but it remains a tight grouping across all four neighboring CPUs.

Power and Thermals

The i3-9320 carries a 62 W TDP rating. That puts it in a modest desktop power class, roughly in line with what a standard mainstream air cooler can handle. The 14 nm Coffee Lake die measures 126 mm², so the heat-producing area is relatively compact, and the socket is Intel Socket 1151, which keeps cooler compatibility tied to that platform.

The multiplier is locked, so there is no overclocking headroom to factor into thermal planning. The integrated UHD Graphics 630 means the processor package includes a GPU, but that does not change the fundamental cooling tier implied by a 62 W TDP. A capable air cooler designed for this class of desktop CPU is sufficient; this is not a chip that requires a high-end liquid cooling solution.

Memory support is DDR4 with a dual-channel bus and 38.4 GB/s of bandwidth. ECC memory support is listed as true, which can matter for systems that need error-correcting memory. The CPU also provides PCIe Gen 3 with 16 CPU lanes. None of these features push the chip into a higher thermal class; the 62 W figure remains the defining power characteristic.

Benchmark Performance

Cinebench results show consistent behavior across three versions. In Cinebench R15, the i3-9320 scores 630 in the multi-core test and 88 in the single-core test. In Cinebench R20, the multi-core score is 2626 and the single-core score is 370. In Cinebench R23, the multi-core score is 6254 and the single-core score is 882.

The aggregate benchmark score of 1808 is the key point of comparison against the nearest rivals. Relative to the AMD Ryzen 3 1300X, the i3-9320 is 0.2% higher (1805 for the Ryzen). Relative to the Intel Xeon E5-1620 v4, it is 0.2% lower (1812 for the Xeon). Relative to the Intel Xeon E5-1630 v3, it is 0.7% lower (1821 for the Xeon). Relative to the AMD Opteron 6281, it is 1.1% higher (1789 for the Opteron). All four rivals sit within roughly one percentage point of the i3-9320, which means the chip is not an outlier in either direction.

The 44th percentile placement against all CPUs in the database shows that the i3-9320 is not a high-end performer. It sits below the midpoint of the overall field, though the extreme closeness of the nearest rivals suggests that small workload differences can shuffle its position. The Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 6254 is substantial for a 4-thread processor, but it is not in the same range as higher-core-count parts. The single-core figures, by contrast, are relatively strong, benefiting from the 4.40 GHz boost clock.

FAQ

Q: Does the Intel Core i3-9320 support ECC memory?

A: Yes. The fact pack lists ECC memory support as true.

Q: What socket does the i3-9320 use?

A: It uses Intel Socket 1151.

Q: Does the i3-9320 include integrated graphics?

A: Yes, it includes UHD Graphics 630.

Q: Is the multiplier unlocked?

A: No, the multiplierUnlocked field is false.

Q: How much cache does the i3-9320 have?

A: It has 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 256 KB of L2 cache per core, and 8 MB of shared L3 cache.

Q: What is the production status of the i3-9320?

A: It is listed as end-of-life, with a release date of 2019-04-22 and part number SRF7X.

Single-Thread vs Multi-Thread Behavior

The i3-9320 has 4 cores and 4 threads, so there are no extra threads to draw on when a workload can use more execution resources. The base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz define its frequency range, and the boost clock is particularly important for single-threaded responsiveness.

The Cinebench data highlights this split. In R15, the single-core score is 88 and the multi-core score is 630. In R20, the single-core score is 370 and the multi-core score is 2626. In R23, the single-core score is 882 and the multi-core score is 6254. In every version, the multi-core score scales well above the single-core figure, but the absolute multi-core totals remain bounded by the 4-thread design.

For real workloads, the implication is straightforward. Applications that rely on one or two threads will see the benefit of the 4.40 GHz boost clock and the relatively strong single-core Cinebench results. Applications that spread work across all available cores will use all 4 physical threads, but they will not find any additional logical threads beyond that. The 8 MB shared L3 cache helps keep all four cores supplied with data, but the hard ceiling is the core and thread count itself. The result is a processor that is more comfortable with lightly threaded desktop tasks than with heavily parallel workloads.